e - M U S I C L A B    PROPOSAL

There are many techniques and skills that a musician must master -- how to create a pleasing sound, how to breathe to support the sound, how to play in tune, and how to read music, etc.. Woodwind (clarinet, flute, saxophone, oboe, etc.) and brass (trumpet, trombone, tuba, french horn, etc.) players who learn intricate fingering combinations and slide positions, also develop facial muscles to control their pitch and sound. String (violin, viola, 'cello, and bass viol) learn bowing techniques and complex fingering positions and pressure applications. Pianists learn to see and play two or more staves of music simultaneously. Drummers/percussionists have their own set of basic techniques to master: rudiments for the snare drummer, mallet techniques for the tuned percussion family (vibraphone, xylophone, marimba, chimes, etc.), tuning and etude studies for the timpanist, and the percussion hand instruments (cymbals, triangle, tambourine, etc.) as well. All musicians practice scales and other exercises designed to develop proficiency on their instruments.

It is often the responsibility of the school instrumental instructors to teach ALL the band and orchestra instruments (an overwhelming task). Students who desire to develop their abilities beyond the level of basic school instruction are required to look outside their school programs for private instruction. It is often difficult to impossible to find local professional-quality musicians for instruction or as performers in concert.

To meet the needs of music students, educators, and aspiring professional level players, e-MusicLab will deliver music instruction via the WorldWideWeb to musicians all over the world.

The program design and focus is based on the personal experiences of John Gates in four distinct areas:

1. Master of Arts in Instructional Design, Computers in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, NYC, NY.
2. As a drumset instructor:
   • North Texas State University (1972-1974) (member of the One O'Clock Band)
   • Private instructor, including the Music Mart percussion instructor (San Antonio)
3. As a professional musician in various aspects of the music business - Television, Broadway musicals, jingle recording, the Las Vegas / Atlantic City circuit, etc,.
4. As a multimedia consultant at AT&T on an interactive television research project (1991-1993), as the Technical Director (1996-1999) for www.nhl.com (The National Hockey League), and as Technical Manager (1998-2000) for www.pgatour.com (The PGA TOUR).

e-MusicLab instruction consists of video performances, audio examples and notation graphics from the instructional publications of some of the finest author-musicians, each with their personal and sometimes conflicting perspectives.

e-MusicLab creates a paradigm shift away from practicing in a vacuum with a metronome and a record or tape to an environment where there is a variety of experiential possibilities. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of e-MusicLab is that the program, delivered over the World Wide Web, creates a lifelike "performance" environment.

All exercises will be presented in some CONTEXT - bass lines and piano chord changes for the beginning coordination exercises (to create the context of a real musical experience -- with other players to adjust to - chord changes to listen to). Big band charts and jazz-rock fusion arrangements will be included to develop sight-reading skills. The learner becomes a member of and perform with any size or type of musical organization -- with the possibilities ranging from a duet with another player to a symphony orchestra.